Apocalypse Star House Hoarding

Chapter 312

Special station “Golden Train” has been found.

Congratulations on successfully waking up from the “train virtual world.”

Congratulations on obtaining the reward: “Golden Train Immunity.”

Easter Egg (Activated): Fragment collection rate (80%). Number of fragments in this station: 1.

Easter Egg Fragment detected (It is the brilliance within the darkness). Fragment collection countdown: 23 hours, 59 minutes, 49 seconds.

Note: This station’s Easter Egg Fragment is special. If not successfully obtained within the time limit, all previously accumulated fragment collection progress will be reset to zero, and the traveler will be sent back to a regular train to continue station tasks until they obtain another Golden Train ticket.

All five of them received similar notifications—each of their Easter Egg prompts was different, but only Xi Yuan’s expression darkened as he looked at his phone.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Zhenzhen curiously leaned over, then burst into laughter. “You became a crew member? A barista in the number three observation carriage? Oh, this is killing me—are you really going to serve coffee in the observation carriage?”

Xi Yuan: …

Yu Zhenzhen’s words made Yu Xi glance at him. “Did you receive an Easter Egg Fragment prompt?” “I did.” Xi Yuan leaned in slightly to show her his phone.

As always, his phone displayed dual identities, providing two different sets of prompts.

Now that they had confirmed everyone received their own Easter Egg Fragment notification, along with the “Golden Train Immunity” reward, it was clear that this special station would no longer exert any form of manipulation or influence over them.

It was similar to when Yu Xi broke free from the “Mirror World” at the “Wu Kong City” station and received the “Mirror World Immunity” reward. Afterward, nothing in the Mirror World could affect her anymore.

This reward was particularly useful, especially since they still weren’t certain when exactly they had entered the virtual world or what key element had influenced them. However, since each person’s Easter Egg Fragment prompt was different, they were clearly being separated for individual tasks, which made them uneasy about splitting up on the train.

Now that they had this immunity, everyone could safely focus on finding their own Easter Egg Fragments.

Twenty-four hours might seem like a long time, but they all knew that these fragment clues were often obscure. Plus, they still had no clear idea of how long this train was or how many carriages it had.

Before setting off to search for the fragments, they gave Number Seventeen and the two other crew members another round of “interrogation,” confiscating their wristbands. After comparing them with the train butlers’ bands, they found that the access levels were identical. To be thorough, they had Number Seventeen summon a few more attendants and “robbed” them of their wristbands as well.

Afterward, Xing Ming used golden light ropes to tightly bind Number Seventeen and the other crew members. Then, using the knowledge Xi Yuan had extracted from his native identity’s memories, along with information found in the wristband system, they located two small storage rooms in the train’s utility carriage and locked the attendants inside separately.

“Safety first. Keep the wristbands but don’t wear them,” Lin Wu reminded them at the right moment. “Also, regarding that person named Meng Sha, based on Xiao Xi’s account, there’s a high possibility that she’s an operative sent by the System Tower. After the station reset voucher was used, we were all removed from the glass pillar carriage, but we don’t know if there’s been any change in the timeline. That means we also have no idea whether Meng Sha is still on this train at this moment. This is a station—fighting and killing are not forbidden here. While looking for your fragments, be on guard for hidden enemies. I doubt the System Tower would send only one operative.”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

Yu Xi thought for a moment and took out a life-assist device she had purchased in Devourer’s Domain. It was lightweight, voice-controlled, and capable of three-dimensional imaging during video calls.

If this device worked on the train, they could activate the video function at any time, ensuring that if anyone was in danger, the others could immediately respond.

After everyone put on and tested the devices, they found that they worked. Even without a conventional network, the built-in signal coverage was vast, spanning an area roughly the size of an entire city.

Unfortunately, these devices had strict application limitations. Each person could only obtain one under their own name. If a device was damaged, they could only apply for a replacement by returning the broken unit. Additionally, each device had a built-in tracking system and was locked to the registered user, making it impossible to lose or transfer.

Otherwise, Yu Xi would have liked to stockpile a few to bring back to the original world for Fan Qi and Yu Feng.

Once everyone was ready, they used the wristbands to unlock the carriage door.

“Let’s go.”

**

It is the brilliance within the darkness.

If understood literally, the location of the Easter Egg Fragment should be related to the lighting and environment of a carriage. Darkness can be interpreted as nighttime or the night sky, and at night, the stars in the sky shine the brightest.

If analyzed on a deeper level, darkness can symbolize despair and adversity, while brilliance in the darkness represents hope in the midst of hardship.

However, the second interpretation is too abstract and lacks a tangible reference, so Yu Xi decided to follow the first assumption and head to the most likely carriage.

On the Golden Train, two carriages fit this description—one was the illusion carriage, and the other was the forest oxygen bar carriage.

The illusion carriage was similar to a 5D immersive theater, with all four walls made of special electronic display screens. It had only a few seats, all designed as fully enclosed reclining soft chairs with movable support structures behind them, requiring passengers to fasten safety belts.

It was an immersive carriage meant for relaxation, featuring different themes at various times throughout the day. These included cosmic starry skies, canyon adventures, dinosaur worlds, snowy auroras, and more—over thirty different scenic experiences.

Once a theme began, the lights in the carriage would dim completely, and the 360-degree electronic screens would display the selected landscape in a three-dimensional format. Simultaneously, the seats would shift up, down, left, or right according to the visuals, making passengers feel as though they were truly inside the scene.

This illusion carriage was highly popular. Since the number of seats was limited, new passengers who boarded often had to make reservations in advance due to high demand.

A new group of passengers had boarded today, so Yu Xi estimated that this carriage would be crowded. However, she didn’t need to explore all the available themes—only the “cosmic starry sky” setting matched the Easter Egg Fragment’s clue.

Checking the schedule on her wristband, she saw that the “cosmic starry sky” theme would begin in two hours. As expected, all seats for this session were already fully booked. Fortunately, she now had a crew member’s wristband. Since staff were not considered passengers but rather train personnel, she could enter the illusion carriage at any time.

The other possible location, the forest oxygen bar carriage, was an indoor botanical garden. Because the train operated in a closed environment, passengers could see different landscapes through the windows every day but could never physically interact with them. The Golden Train, unwilling to let such a regret exist, had combined two carriages to create an indoor garden.

This botanical carriage was four meters high and housed a variety of indoor plants as well as specially modified trees, most of which only grew between 3.5 to 4 meters tall. Some bore flowers, while others produced beautiful fruits.

The design of the garden closely resembled a real forest. The ground was covered with soil, moss, and fungi, while vines hung from tree branches. The ecosystem was complete, featuring various harmless insects and domesticated bird species.

One particular area was called “Firefly Light.” During the day, the fireflies in this section were inconspicuous, but at night, they would gather in midair, emitting soft, glowing light. With the surrounding dark forest environment, it created the perfect illusion of being deep in nature.

These fireflies also fit the description of “brilliance in the darkness.”

The wristband displayed the current time as 5:00 PM. There was still over an hour before nightfall outside the train. Yu Xi decided to check the Firefly Light area in the forest oxygen bar carriage first. She remembered that sometimes collecting an Easter Egg Fragment wasn’t about waiting for the right time but about being in the right place and understanding the clue correctly.

Moving from one carriage to another only required inputting the desired carriage number. Once the door opened and closed, others could proceed to their next destination.

They had never visited the forest oxygen bar carriage before, as there were too many interesting places on the train, and seven or eight days wasn’t enough to explore all the available areas.

The indoor botanical garden was impressively realistic. The walls on both sides were electronic screens, complementing the actual plants inside to create an immersive environment. Distant forests, a lake in the far background, lush green mountains—if not for the four-meter-high ceiling, this place would be indistinguishable from a real forest.

The surroundings were quiet, with faint insect chirps and distant bird calls breaking the silence. The air carried the fresh scent of grass and trees, and the oxygen levels had been adjusted to the optimal percentage for human respiration.

Everything here was almost indistinguishable from reality. Yet, few passengers ever visited this carriage. Those who boarded the Golden Train had already traveled through numerous stations, constantly moving from one place to another. For new passengers, a scene like this was nothing special. In comparison, the extravagant entertainment carriages with their lavish decorations were far more enticing.

“Safe,” Yu Xi reported through the life-assist device, sending a brief voice message to her teammates before heading deeper into the forest.

As she moved through the forest oxygen bar carriage, her teammates also arrived at their respective target locations, each reporting in with a simple “safe.”

Ya Tong had gone to the surfing carriage, Lin Wu to the swimming pool carriage, Xing Min to the aquarium carriage, Yu Zhenzhen to the dessert carriage, and Xi Yuan to the escape room carriage.

All movements were clearly transmitted to each other through the life-assist device.

Yu Xi quickly reached the Firefly Light area, a small clearing within the “forest.” After failing to collect the Easter Egg Fragment, she casually sat down, deciding to wait until nightfall when the fireflies would light up the surroundings with their flickering glow.

Two hours later, still empty-handed, Yu Xi stood up and walked through the floating fireflies back to the carriage door. She entered the code for the illusion carriage.

Beyond the carriage door was a small workroom adjacent to the illusion carriage. Through the glass wall of the workroom, she could see the passenger area where the simulated “cosmic starry sky” scene had already begun.

The glass wall of the workroom was also part of the 5D display screens outside. At this moment, due to the shifting lights from the projection, the glass reflected an ever-changing spectrum of colors.

Inside the carriage, dozens of soft reclining seats cradled the passengers as their support frames tilted back, simulating the weightlessness of outer space.

Yu Xi took out her phone and once again reviewed the phrase “brilliance in the darkness,” organizing her thoughts.

However, no success notification for the fragment collection appeared on her screen.

This wasn’t the right place either?

Yu Xi frowned. She had already checked two possible locations, yet neither was correct. Had she misunderstood the clue entirely?

“Brilliance in the darkness”—could it be that the breakthrough lay in the deeper interpretation?

Hope in the midst of adversity? This special station certainly qualified as adversity, but where on this train could be considered hope?

To Yu Xi, nowhere on this train represented hope. Whether it was the extravagant entertainment spaces or the fully stocked luxury suites, everything was just a sugar-coated trap to entice them to stay. On the surface, everything appeared vibrant and thriving, but in truth, it was nothing but decay and deception. Even the beautiful landscapes outside the windows were formed from the lives of past passengers…

As she pondered the clue, voices from her teammates occasionally came through the life-assist device.

Everyone was struggling to find their Easter Egg Fragment. The clues they had received were vague and abstract, but given that this was the most critical memory fragment, the increased difficulty was expected.

“Maybe we’re overcomplicating things. What if the clue isn’t actually that deep?” Yu Zhenzhen’s voice came through just as Yu Xi was scrolling through the list of train carriages, searching for potential leads based on their names.

It was an offhand remark, but Yu Xi’s gaze suddenly froze on a particular carriage name displayed on her wristband screen.

If she didn’t think too hard about it and took the clue at face value, then at this time of night, this carriage actually fit the hint perfectly.

However, there were six identical carriages with the same function. To verify her theory, she would have to check each one.

This idea had come to her unintentionally, and it seemed almost too simple. Yu Xi instinctively felt it was unlikely. However, with no other leads at the moment, staying here would just be a waste of time. She might as well check all six carriages.

These six identical carriages were the observation carriages, the most ordinary functional spaces on the Golden Train.

At night, in order to allow passengers to enjoy the view outside, the lights in the observation carriages were kept completely off. Sometimes, all the isolation panels on the train would be retracted, transforming the entire carriage into a full-glass observatory.

Right now, it was nighttime. If the train was passing through open fields, there would be stars in the sky and, occasionally, the faint glow of distant city lights on the horizon. This, too, matched the description of “brilliance in the darkness.”

The first observation carriage—nothing.

The second observation carriage—still nothing.

Yu Xi moved quickly. Before long, she had checked five of the six observation carriages.

Perhaps due to the ongoing banquet in the train’s two-story dining hall, these observation carriages were almost empty.

As Yu Xi exited the fifth carriage and prepared to enter the sixth, Xi Yuan sent a video call through the life-assist device. She answered, and a three-dimensional screen appeared in front of her left eye.

“Huh? You’re not in the illusion carriage? I was just about to come find you,” he said.

“Yeah, I’m in the observation carriages,” Yu Xi replied.

“I haven’t had any breakthroughs. I figured we could go over the clues together and see if we can get any new ideas.” Xi Yuan sighed, then suddenly added, “The view behind you looks nice.”

Nice?

Yu Xi turned and looked up at the glass ceiling of the carriage.

Tonight’s sky displayed a winding Milky Way, an intricate sea of stars woven together in breathtaking splendor.

Visually, it was stunning. But once she remembered what lay behind this beauty, the sight became chilling…

Wait.

“Brilliance in the darkness.” That’s right—the Golden Train, like all other ordinary trains, traveled endlessly through the void. But unlike the others, its glass reflected projections of passengers’ subconscious worlds. These landscapes were the places they had visited, the scenery they had seen, and the places they longed to go… These were their precious, cherished memories.

Xi Yuan noticed the shift in her expression. “What is it? Did something click?”

“Yes!” Yu Xi responded, already striding toward the nearby carriage door. “If there’s anything on this train that truly qualifies as brilliance—then of course—”

Just as she was about to input the carriage number, the door was opened from the other side.

Inside the glass-walled carriage, a slender figure stepped through the doorway, standing in the dim light and shadows.

“Xiao Xi?” The person spoke, calling her name softly.

“Who?” Through the life-assist device, Xi Yuan’s voice carried a hint of confusion.

Because Yu Xi hadn’t shared her video feed, Xi Yuan could only see what her wristband’s camera was facing. At this moment, all he could see was Yu Xi’s stunned expression and the glass observation carriage behind her. He couldn’t see who was at the door in front of her.

The person at the door took a step forward, emerging from the darkness, revealing a familiar face that she hadn’t seen in a long time.

They smiled at Yu Xi, but their eyes shimmered with mist.

“Xiao Xi, it’s me. I finally… found you.”

“Leng… Leng Mian?!” Staring at the familiar face, Yu Xi instinctively blurted out their name.

“What? Leng—” Xi Yuan’s voice cut off as the video call was abruptly terminated.

Yu Xi turned off the life-assist device and looked back at the person standing before her.